By Melani Ajub Egne
Read: Judges 4:1-16
“Nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory.” (v. 9)
Have you ever been asked to take on a big responsibility at work or at church? Usually, the first response is, “I can’t. Not me. Ask someone else.”
Avoiding responsibility is easier than taking on the task. Instead, consider the challenge to move forward in faith, to lean on God’s help, and learn to take on the responsibility.
In today’s reading, we see an example of a lack of faith. Deborah was a prophetess who served as a judge over the Israelites. When the Canaanites attacked, Deborah ordered the military leader Barak to go to war. Barak was reluctant to go alone and asked Deborah to go with him (v. 8).
Barak’s response showed that he didn’t rely on the Lord’s presence; he didn’t trust God’s instructions, given through Deborah. He wasn’t sharing responsibility; he was avoiding it. As a result, Barak received no honor from the battle (v. 9); the Lord delivered the opposing leader Sisera into the hands of a woman named Jael (vv. 17-22).
Sometimes we are also reluctant to take on big responsibilities if we have to do it alone. We feel more confident giving the responsibility to someone else. That’s a sign that we are relying more on people than on God, even though God can do all things. With faith we believe that God is at work so that we can see the fact of his presence.
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Melani Ajub Egne is a pastor of Agus Salim Indonesian Christian Church in Bekasi, West Java, Indonesia. This devotional was previously published in Wasiat, a bi-monthly daily devotional for families, produced by Words of Hope ministry partners in Indonesia.
Read: Judges 4:1-16
“Nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory.” (v. 9)
Have you ever been asked to take on a big responsibility at work or at church? Usually, the first response is, “I can’t. Not me. Ask someone else.”
Avoiding responsibility is easier than taking on the task. Instead, consider the challenge to move forward in faith, to lean on God’s help, and learn to take on the responsibility.
In today’s reading, we see an example of a lack of faith. Deborah was a prophetess who served as a judge over the Israelites. When the Canaanites attacked, Deborah ordered the military leader Barak to go to war. Barak was reluctant to go alone and asked Deborah to go with him (v. 8).
Barak’s response showed that he didn’t rely on the Lord’s presence; he didn’t trust God’s instructions, given through Deborah. He wasn’t sharing responsibility; he was avoiding it. As a result, Barak received no honor from the battle (v. 9); the Lord delivered the opposing leader Sisera into the hands of a woman named Jael (vv. 17-22).
Sometimes we are also reluctant to take on big responsibilities if we have to do it alone. We feel more confident giving the responsibility to someone else. That’s a sign that we are relying more on people than on God, even though God can do all things. With faith we believe that God is at work so that we can see the fact of his presence.
—————
Melani Ajub Egne is a pastor of Agus Salim Indonesian Christian Church in Bekasi, West Java, Indonesia. This devotional was previously published in Wasiat, a bi-monthly daily devotional for families, produced by Words of Hope ministry partners in Indonesia.
